Qin Wanru also felt that someone was playing tricks, but based on Yunying's startled glance and some groundless rumors, it was not easy to find out who was behind the tricks.
Zhao Jingping didn't dare sleep all night. When he arrived at his mother's place, he felt very safe. Listening to the conversation between Qin's aunt and nephew, he fell asleep on the couch unknowingly.
Qin Wanru couldn't help but complain to her aunt, "I didn't know my cousin was so timid before. He didn't even dare to go out last night when I asked him to. He was so scared that he couldn't sleep all night. He doesn't have any manliness at all."
When Qin heard that her son had not slept all night, she felt very distressed. She asked Yunyan to get a quilt to cover Zhao Jingping, and then took Qin Wanru's hand and went to the inner room to avoid disturbing her son's rest.
"Your cousin is still young and has a simple mind. He has had a smooth life since childhood and has not experienced any major storms. It is normal for him to be a little timid. You can't say that he is unmanly." After entering the inner room, Qin coaxed Qin Wanru in a gentle voice, making excuses for her son's cowardice.
Qin Wanru felt strange, but her cousin was the person she had liked since childhood, so naturally, her feelings for him would not be affected by such a small matter.
Besides, the most important thing right now is to find out who is behind this, and she doesn't have the energy to worry about these trivial matters.
The aunt and niece talked secretly for a long time behind closed doors. As it was getting dark, Qin asked Qin Wanru and Zhao Jingping to stay in her courtyard for dinner before letting them go back.
Zhao Jingping went out and looked at the dark sky outside. He felt uneasy and discussed with Qin Wanru: "Mother's place is spacious and has many people. Why don't we stay here tonight?"
Qin Wanru rolled her eyes at him and said angrily, "What are you talking about? You already have a family and children, why are you still clinging to your mother like a child? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at if the news gets out?"
Zhao Jingping scratched his head and thought that being laughed at by others was better than being scared by ghosts.
However, he just thought about it in his mind and didn't dare to say it out loud. If he said it out loud, not only would his cousin look down on him, but his mother might also scold him.
No one knows a child better than his mother. Qin actually saw that her son was timid and wanted to send a few servants to escort them. However, her niece had just complained that her son was not manly. If she sent someone to escort them now, it would seem that her son's timidity was caused by her.
In order to prevent her son from losing face in front of his new wife, she had to cruelly pretend to turn a blind eye.
The couple left Yixin Courtyard and slowly walked towards Nuanyu Pavilion. The road was hung with festive red lanterns and the flickering flames reminded them that their married life had just begun.
If there had been no ghost story, Zhao Jingping would have been in a poetic mood at this moment, and would have taken the opportunity to recite some romantic poems to cheer up the beauty. However, considering the frightening moment last night, he felt that there was something weird about the red lantern swaying in the wind.
"Wanru, let's walk faster. I'm a little cold." He grabbed Qin Wanru's hand to give himself courage.
Qin Wanru sneered: "Are you cold or scared?"
Zhao Jingping was stunned and glanced at her sideways, feeling that she was different from the shy and gentle cousin he used to be.
No matter what he said in the past, my cousin would always agree with him with a smile, "My cousin is right," "My cousin thinks the same as I do," and so on. But now, all she does is roll her eyes and mock him, and she is not gentle at all.
People say that women become different before and after marriage, but isn’t my cousin’s transformation too fast
"What are you looking at me for?" Qin Wanru asked.
Zhao Jingping shook his head, feeling somewhat bored and not even wanting to talk.
Qin Wanru was preoccupied with something and ignored him. Although they were still holding hands, they didn't speak to each other along the way.
Passing by Yaoyueju, where Xie Nanjia used to live, Qin Wanru suddenly said sourly, "You think my yard is not spacious enough, but this yard is spacious. Why don't you fight for it to let me live in it?"
Zhao Jingping was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice he had walked here. When Qin Wanru reminded him of this, he raised his head and glanced at the tightly closed door of Yaoyue Residence, feeling sad for no reason.
Speaking of Nan Jia, she hadn't changed before or after marriage. Whenever she saw him, she was cold and distant. Even during the only two times they showed affection, she didn't treat him well.
But he never hated her, and even worshipped her like a goddess. Whenever she looked at him for a second, he would be as happy as if it were New Year's Day.
He was never discouraged by Nan Jia's indifference. He firmly believed that sincerity could move mountains and stones. As long as he continued to treat her well, one day she would open her heart to him.
Later, when he heard that Nan Jia was pregnant, he was even more ecstatic. It is said that children are the bond of love between husband and wife. He believed that the birth of the child would also be the moment of change in their relationship.
He looked forward to the birth of his child every day, but he never imagined that the birth of the child would come at the cost of Nan Jia's death.
To this day, whenever he thinks of this, he always feels deep regret and blames himself for running to Xishan to look for orchid grass when Nanjia was about to give birth.
If he had known this would happen, he wouldn't even look at it even if all the orchids in the world were given to him.
"Why don't you speak?" Qin Wanru shook him hard.
Zhao Jingping came back to his senses and sighed, "That's Nan Jia's yard. It's not suitable for you to live there."
Qin Wanru immediately got angry and shook off his hand: "Why is it inappropriate? This courtyard was originally for the wife of the prince to live in. I am now the wife of the prince in name only, why can't I live here?"
Zhao Jingping was startled by her sudden anger. He hesitated for a moment and said awkwardly, "It's not that I don't allow you to live here. It's the general's wife who wrote it in black and white that the second wife cannot live in the main courtyard."
"You!" Qin Wanru was furious and glared at him hatefully before walking away.
"Hey..." Zhao Jingping hurriedly chased after her, "Wait for me!"
…
After Qin Wanru left, Qin was not idle either. She sent someone to call the steward and told him to quickly suppress the ghost rumor and find out where the rumor first came from.
Marquis Dingyuan had not returned for the entire day, and Qin specifically told him not to let anyone talk about him in front of Marquis Dingyuan.
Unexpectedly, Marquis Dingyuan heard these rumors outside, and after returning home, he went straight to the backyard to inquire about the situation.
Seeing that she couldn't hide it any longer, Qin told him everything and asked him to send someone to help investigate who was behind this.
"Since the news has spread outside, someone must have done it on purpose. We must quickly find out the truth to avoid affecting the marriages of the girls." Qin said, "Your subordinates are all useful people, and it is easier for you to investigate than me, so please spend more time on it!"
Marquis Dingyuan didn't like to meddle in the affairs of the rear quarters, but this matter concerned the reputation of the mansion and the marriages of his daughters, so he naturally couldn't just ignore it.
"I see. I'll ask Jiu'an to send someone to investigate." He said, "Have you asked your mother if she was frightened?"
Qin was so busy discussing countermeasures with Qin Wanru that she didn't think about the old lady at all. She was stunned by the sudden question from Marquis Dingyuan.
When Marquis Dingyuan saw her like that, he knew that she didn't take the old lady to heart. He frowned and stood up and said, "You take a rest. I'll go sit with my mother for a while."
Qin was in the wrong, so she didn't dare to stop him. She walked him to the door and asked, "Will you come back later?"
Although she didn't like Marquis Dingyuan very much, he was her husband after all and the king of this marquisate.
"No, I still have official business to attend to. I will go back to the front yard after seeing my mother." said Marquis Dingyuan.
Qin was disappointed for a moment, but she didn't force him. She reminded him earnestly, "You have to take care of yourself and don't stay up too late. I'll ask someone to bring you some food later."
"No need, Hualou can do it." Marquis Dingyuan waved his hand and left with his entourage.
Qin's face froze for a moment. She leaned against the door and watched Marquis Dingyuan disappear outside the gate, then turned around and went back into the house.
"That Hualou..." She sat back on the square couch and whispered to Madam Cao, "Tell Chang Fu later that if he can't find the person who spread the rumor, let him go to the top of Hualou."
"…" Madam Cao's heart skipped a beat, and she bowed and said, "Yes, I'll make a note of it."
Qin thought for a moment and added, "If we find out, we have to give her a share. If we miss this opportunity, we don't know how long we will have to wait."
…
In Ci'an Residence, the old lady had finished her dinner and was chatting with a few maids and servants. When she heard that Dingyuan Marquis was coming, she smiled and said, "He must be here for the ghost story."
When the maid brought Marquis Dingyuan in, the first thing he said as soon as he sat down was, "There are some bad rumors in the mansion today. I came to see if you are frightened."
The old lady and the servants in the room laughed.
Aunt Hua smiled and said with emotion: "In the end, blood is thicker than water. A son is better than a daughter-in-law."
Although the words came from Aunt Hua's mouth, Dingyuan Hou knew that the old lady must be unhappy when he heard it, and he apologized quickly: "It's my son's fault. I didn't discipline the people in the house well. Mother, please bear with me."
The old lady waved her hand seemingly nonchalantly: "It's okay, it's okay. The fourth girl and the fourth aunt have come to see me. Your wife must be worried right now, so I won't bother with her."
Marquis Dingyuan knew that the fourth girl often came to accompany the old lady, but he was surprised that the fourth concubine would come to see the old lady.
"The Fourth Aunt is very thoughtful. I'll go visit her later, my son." said Marquis Dingyuan.
He has been busy with government affairs during this period and has not been to Qingfengyuan for a long time.
The old lady said, "Speaking of Fourth Aunt, I have something to discuss with you."
Dingyuan Hou hurriedly said, "Mother, please speak."
The old lady said, "The fourth girl is about to get married. Her stepmother is in charge of all the affairs in the mansion and has no time to take care of her. As a father, you are not at home all day long. Although I love her, I am old and unable to take care of her. When the fourth concubine came today, I saw that her speech and behavior were much better than before. I thought that since one of them has no mother and the other has no children, it would be better to adopt the fourth girl under her name and let her spend more time on the fourth girl's marriage. In the future, the two of them can rely on each other. What do you think?"
Dingyuan Hou was very surprised. He frowned and thought for a long time before he said, "Mother's idea is indeed good, but I think we should ask the fourth girl and the fourth concubine for their opinions. If they are unwilling, we can't force them to do it."
The old lady laughed and said, "There's no reason for them to disagree. As long as you, as the father, nod your head, you don't have to worry about the rest."
When Marquis Dingyuan heard her say this, he knew that she had informed the Fourth Aunt and the Fourth Girl in advance. The Fourth Girl was really pitiful being all alone, so as long as she was willing, he naturally had no objection.
It's strange to say that the Fourth Aunt is the most favored among the concubines, but she is the only one without children. If she adopts the Fourth Girl as her daughter, she will have someone to rely on when she is old, which is good.
Thinking of this, Marquis Dingyuan nodded and said, "I have no objection. As long as mother feels it's good, I'll let Qin know later."
"Yes." The old lady was very happy and told him, "Madam is always thinking too much. You should talk to her properly, otherwise she will think that I am too old to worry about it."
"No, everything mother does is for the good of her family. What can she say?" Dingyuan Hou comforted.
The mother and son chatted about family matters for a while. Seeing that the old lady was not affected by the rumors, Marquis Dingyuan left with peace of mind.
As the night deepened and the weather turned colder, people went to bed much earlier than before. Just after the first watch, the entire mansion had become quiet. The occasional crow's cry further highlighted the tranquility of the night.
In the Youlan Courtyard, the light was still on in the room of the eldest lady Zhao Lanya.
"Send this mask to him and tell him to put it on before taking action." Zhao Lanya handed a disheveled ghost mask to her personal maid Haitang.
It was really God's will. Just when she was planning to kill the arrogant and annoying Xiu'er, a rumor of ghosts spread in the mansion. As for whether the rumor was true or not, her mother would find out. She could use this rumor to make the girl die at the hands of a "ghost".
For a girl whose life was sought by an evil spirit, her mother would just have her thrown into a mass grave as soon as possible and would never bother to find out the truth for her.
Once that girl dies, there will be no one to give advice to the fourth girl anymore. By then, it will be up to her mother to marry her off to a cat or a dog.
What a shameless bitch with no self-awareness! Let’s see if she dares to covet Young Master Zhou again!
(End of this chapter)